It is not always easy to figure out what to do with maternity clothes after pregnancy. That is because, for one, you can never be certain that there will be (or there will not be) future pregnancies. Yet knowing for sure that there will be future pregnancies would empower you in making the decision to carefully store the maternity dresses – or whatever other maternity clothing items – for use in such future pregnancies. On the other hand, knowing for sure that there will be no future pregnancies would empower you in making the decision to dispose the maternity clothing items, out of the knowledge for the fact that you’ll never need them. Of course, even where you are hoping for future pregnancies, there’d still be uncertainty on the form such future pregnancies are likely to take – which would in turn determine whether the current maternity dresses will be suitable for use in such pregnancies or not.
As things stand, decisions on how to deal with maternity clothes after pregnancy have to be made on the basis of incomplete information. And in the final analysis, one has the following options, in terms of how to deal with the maternity clothing items after the pregnancy:
1. Storing the maternity clothing items for use in future pregnancies. This option is viable if you are hoping for further pregnancies in the future. We come to learn that most ladies have, in their minds, clear ideas on the numbers of kids they want to have in their lives. And as long as such numbers aren’t attained, there are always prospects for future pregnancies. Now rather than buying new maternity dresses whenever new pregnancies occur, some ladies prefer to store the maternity dresses they buy for their first pregnancies, for use in future pregnancies.
2. Donating the maternity clothing items to needy people who may genuinely require them. This option is viable if your maternity clothing items are still in reusable condition, yet you don’t see yourself personally reusing them in the future. You can donate them to organizations such as the Salvation Army, for onward transmission to needy people who may genuinely require them.
3. Disposing the used maternity clothing items as ‘trash.’ This option is ideal if the maternity clothing items are clearly not in a reusable condition (which means that donating them to anyone would be an insult).
4. Putting the used maternity clothes on sale as second hand items. This option is viable if the maternity clothing items you bought are so good that they can fetch reasonable prices in the second hand market. In that regard, we are looking at the likes of designer maternity jeans, which are still likely to command good prices as second hand items sold through, among other avenues, the various online auction sites.
5. Storing the maternity clothing items for sentimental purposes. You may decide to store the maternity dresses not because you plan to get pregnant (and hence wear them) in the future, but simply because you need tangible reminders of your pregnancies and that phase of your life generally. You could even pass the dresses down to your daughters when they come of age, not necessarily for them to wear the dresses, but just for sentimental purposes.